President Proclaims September Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, Asks for Support

On August 29, President Obama reminded Americans of the seriousness of childhood cancer in the United States and proclaimed September to be National Childhood Cancer Awareness Month.

As part of the proclamation, the president remembered those children who have succumbed to pediatric cancer. He offered the administration’s support for those children now fighting the disease, for their loved ones, and for the researchers, healthcare providers and advocacy groups who seek to lessen, and one day eliminate, the burden of cancer.

Obama stressed that every year, an estimated 16,000 new cases of cancer appear among Americans under the age of 20. Cancer remains the leading cause of death attributable to disease among children.

While acknowledging that much work remains to be done for the world to realize a future free from cancer, the president also offered the encouraging news of significant progress in the battle against pediatric cancer. Mortality rates for several forms of cancer have dropped by more than 50 percent in the last 30 years.

The president also emphasized that, as a result of the Affordable Care Act, children with cancer will have better access to critical healthcare. Insurance companies are now prohibited from denying coverage due pre-existing conditions, including cancer, or from denying participation in an approved clinical trial for life-threatening diseases such as cancer.

Government support also extends beyond the ACA, though fewer Americans are aware of the benefits available. “The Affordable Care Act has afforded thousands of children with cancer access to healthcare that they would otherwise might have been unable to reach,” said David W. Magann, a prominent Tampa, Florida attorney whose firm specializes in Social Security disability law. “But it is still not well known that children with cancer whose parents are currently receiving disability or retirement benefits may be themselves eligible for disability payments once they turn 18.”

Under the law, a child with cancer or another disabling condition whose parent is receiving disability or retirement benefits must have a condition that is expected to last for at least 12 consecutive months or result in death in order to be eligible for disability insurance payments.

“As for any other disability claim, an application will have to be completed and an in-office interview with a Social Security representative must be held in order for the child to ultimately be approved for disability benefits,” Magann said. “The process can be time-consuming and complex, but our children with disabilities and other disabled Americans should have access to the benefits this lifeline provides.”

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